Bribes & Blunders

Frank Field may have apologised, but it's far too little too late to save Gordon Brown's premiership. Not even the most expensive by-election bribe in history will manage that, though it has given a boost to Labour's hopes in Crewe. Even so, a government that keeps changing tack for opportunistic reasons is not only a government the electorate will not trust, it is a government struggling to survive. I would be very surprised if voters in Crewe will be fooled. In fact, they may feel downright insulted. Labour is badly wounded, polls have given the Tories a lead in Crewe, and both the public and the media alike have scented blood.

And just when the cabinet thought they had saved the Titanic, yet another iceberg appears out of the mist. And another one!

Miracle Insomnia Cure Found

If you've been having any trouble sleeping, then don't hesitate to get your copy of the Application for Appointment of Member to the Executive Committee of the All-Wales Convention. Even better than chloroform!

Think I'll stick to blogging...

Wales deserves better

In the latest offering from PlaidTV, my local MP Hywel Williams explains the difference between Welsh and Scottish legislative processes...

Tories whinge about Ieuan's wings

The Tories are celebrating their now annual criticism of the air-link between Ynys Môn and Cardiff. They're dubbing it "Ieuan Air", an original example of wit coined by, er, Peter Hain last December.

The service, run by Highland Airways, is receiving £2.4m funding from the Assembly over three years. The Deputy First Minister, who is of course also the Minister for Transport, recently celebrated the air link's first birthday.

Shadow Transport Minister Andrew R.T. Davies climed the flights were "clearly not the answer" to improving transport links between north and south Wales.

"The main beneficiary from its introduction seems to be the deputy first minister, who just so happens to be the local assembly member," he said.

"Most people in north Wales get no benefit whatsoever from this service," Mr Davies added.

And yet more than 14,000 passengers have flown between Anglesey and Cardiff so far. The Tories' main complaint seems to be that the Deputy First Minister and his staff use the service frequently. Perhaps Mr Davies would prefer that Ieuan walked? who knows.

14,000 passengers is a good start, and at £50 a flight (return or single) that comes to £700,000 in ticket sales, which (presumably) over three years would come to £2.1m, not far short of the subsidy the service is receiving from the Assembly Government.

Rumours from the chambers

Translation of a post by Vaughan Roderick:

It's time to catch up with the latest rumours from the County Halls. Who will be running our councils over the next four years? We shall see during the next few days.

How about starting in Torfaen -Welsh Secretary Paul Murphy's constituency as well as that of Lynne Neagle, the Labour AM who was the most vociferous regarding the agreement between Labour and Plaid Cymru in the Bay? Ms Neagle had this to say about the idea of a red-green coalition: "We will be helping to deliver our communities into the hands of nationalist incompetents and separatists". Labour lost its majority in Torfaen a fortnight ago but against all expectations Labour could keep hold of the reins with the support of a handful of other councillors. And who are the most prominent ones amongst those councillors? None less than the "nationalist incompetents and separatists". Will Lynne suggest that her local party rejects such an agreement?

In Caerffili there's no two ways about it that the "incompetents and separatists" - Plaid Cymru and Ron Davies in other words - will be in power. The talks continue and it isn't yet clear if there will be enough independent councillors to support Plaid Cymru in order to have a majority.

In the North it appears that the Conservatives' substantial gains in Conwy won't be enough to ensure control. Plaid Cymru is expected to lead an anti-Conservative coalition. There are similar enough developments in Denbighshire with the other parties and the independent members trying to keep out the Tories.

In Gwynedd a coalition between Plaid Cymru, Labour and the Liberal Democrats is likely. It isn't yet clear whether that coalition will try to disestablish the council's board system and establish a cabinet system in orde to (in the words of a prominent member of Plaid Cymru) "leave the idiots and the extremists to rot on the opposition benches".

EU plans higher spending on eonomic growth

More European money is set to flow into economic growth and employment sector according to budget proposals from the European Commission:

Approving a plan to raise spending by an annual three percent to a record 60.1 billion Euro (USD 92.8 billion) in 2009, the Commission set funds for preserving and maintaining the bloc’s natural resources, a spending chapter that includes its expensive farm subsidies programme, with an increase of 3.5 percent to 57.5 billion Euro. Overall, the European Union executive wants to increase the 2009 budget by 3.1 percent to 134.4 billion Euro, with more money spent on research, energy and preserving the environment.

“We have managed to shift the centre of gravity of spending firmly to long-term economic development and employment without putting other areas at risk,” said Dalia Grybauskaite, the EU’s financial programming and budget commissioner:

“Investments in research, the environment and energy are growing three times faster than the budget itself, giving real financial shape to our political goals and putting taxpayers’ money where Europe’s challenges lie.”

While the budget’s biggest percentage raise, 15 percent, goes to managing immigration and fighting crime and terrorism, such spending remains about one-fifth of what is being devoted to administering the EU’s bureaucracy, with spending in this area set to go up by five percent to 7.6 billion Euro. All figures refer to forecasts for “commitment appropriations” - legal pledges to provide financing, provided that certain conditions are fulfilled - rather than “payment appropriations” actual cash or bank transfers to the beneficiaries.

Reconsidering EU foreign policy

From New Europe:

The European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee said the EU’s much-maligned Lisbon Treaty could help the EU’s foreign policy, but said lawmakers should be more involved in decisions. The report by Committee Chairman Jacek Saryusz-Wolski of Poland pointed out that “the future office of High Representative/ Vice-President of the Commission will derive its legitimacy directly from the European Parliament.” It stressed what it said was the need for “transparency and democratic input” into the process of setting up the planned European External Action Service, and called for a mechanism to be set up to provide confidential information to select Foreign Affairs Committee Members.

The key points of the Committee's report are:

*Stability in the Western Balkans should be the top priority for the EU in 2008.

*The “EULEX mission in Kosovo must safeguard the interests of national minorities.” Committee Members voiced their concern at the stalemate in transferring responsibilities from UNMIK to EULEX in Kosovo.

*The report “is of the view that the importance of the foreign policy dimensions of energy security...will continue increasing,” and calls for diversification of supply, increase in energy efficiency and EU solidarity, while also deploring “the uncoordinated signing of bilateral energy agreements by Member States.”

*European Neighbourhood Policy should also be a “main objective for 2008,” especially in three key regional cooperation areas: the Mediterranean, the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea.

*The Committee “considers the review in 2008 by the Union of its relations with Russia as very important,” and asked EU countries to “coordinate relations with the Russian Federation on the basis of the Union’s common interests.”

*The report recommended that “political and economic relations with China be deepened in 2008, on condition that substantial progress be made in the field of democracy and human rights, and that China heed the EU’s grave concerns about its conduct in Tibet.”

*The Committee believes that a future assessment of the ESS “has to be carried out with greater democratic accountability and therefore be made in close consultation” with the Parliament. Committee Members also stressed the need to “have a European Parliament position available before an ESDP mission,” to add democratic legitimacy to EU military operations.

*The Committee “proposes to place EUROCORPS as a standing force under EU command and invites all Member States to contribute to it.”

*The report reiterated the parliament’s long-standing position that it “finds it embarrassing that, despite the fact that the EU Code of Conduct on Arms Exports will celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2008, it is not yet legally binding, and uncontrolled arms exports from EU Member States seem to be continuing without much hindrance.”

'Legislative process works' says Llywydd

Despite his recent criticisms concerning the LCO process, Dafydd Elis-Thomas insisted yesterday that the legislative process works:

“We heard a lot of scepticism from some quarters when the (Government of Wales) Act was passed, claiming that the Assembly would be slow to use its new powers. I was always confident that this would not be the case, and so it has proved. I said I expected about 18 pieces of legislation to be introduced in the first year of the new Act, and we are on target! They relate to a wide range of issues important to the public, including compensation in the NHS, healthy eating in schools, recycling and school transport and are a clear sign that the Assembly is ready to do things differently in Wales and develop Welsh laws which meet the needs of Welsh people.

“We have also heard much in recent weeks and months from the critics of the current devolution settlement – those who are against any devolution at all and those who think the present powers do not go far enough – saying that the new legislative process is too complicated and does not work.

“Well, it does work, and it is no more complicated than the rest of the UK constitution. Any process which results in new laws must by its very nature be robust and give scope for proper scrutiny and even sometimes disagreement.

“One of the things which has most pleased me in the Third Assembly is the increasing ability of members to carry out their important new scrutiny function, including the scrutiny of legislation, properly. The quality and effectiveness of a body of law depends on pre-legislative scrutiny of any legislative proposals, together with a post-legislative check on implementation and outcomes through measuring compliance and consequences.

“It also depends on clarity of drafting and provision of full public information of what powers will be enacted. If we are to have laws fit for purpose, robust scrutiny must continue and the Welsh and UK legislatures and executives must continue to work together to make the system work for Wales. I have always said that I am a pragmatic supporter of devolution. I want to see us moving towards a referendum on full Scottish-style powers for the National Assembly, but we can only get the full-hearted consent of the Welsh people for that in the referendum required by our Constitution, if we can show that we are using the powers we have to make a real difference to people in Wales.”

Plaid To Share Power In The Capital

The Western Mail reports on how Plaid and the Lib Dems are set for a coalition in Cardiff.

Cardiff council’s Liberal Democrat group leader Rodney Berman said:

“Both we and Plaid Cymru are fully committed to delivering the best for local people and we both share a strong belief in the importance of good service delivery.

“From our discussions so far, it is very clear that we believe we can work together in the interests of the local electorate and deliver on our shared vision for a cleaner, greener and safer capital city. By combining forces I believe that not only can we provide Cardiff with a stable administration for the next four years, but we can also put forward a good, strong agenda that will deliver real improvements in local services.”

Plaid group leader Neil McEvoy said:

“Discussions have been full and frank; grown-up politics if you like. The main thing is to put Cardiff and its people first. It has been refreshing to talk things over with Rodney without the usual nonsense that can go on. Politics can be too confrontational and I am happy to say that this is not the case here. We’ve all got on well and if we fail to reach agreement, it will be down to policy alone. I’m positive, but there is a long way to go. Even if we fail to agree on a coalition, I expect a much more positive relationship in future.”

Needless to say, a place on the cabinet of our capital city's council will be a huge PR coup for Plaid.

Gordon's last days

Labour plummets into civil war as ministers attack rebel MP Frank Field. When BBC programmes such as Newsnight and The Daily Politics start speculating more on when rather than if the PM will go, then you know the game's pretty much up. I've been saying for the past three weeks that Brown will be out in the autumn. Now it looks like he won't even last the summer. But how will he go? Mike Smithson over at Politicalbetting.com thinks Brown will, as a life-long party man, fall on his sword. Well, there are ways of stepping down and ways of stepping down. Could Brown bear the humiliation of taking on the role of a caretaker PM while his party goes through the process of electing his successor? Or wll Brown take part in the contest himself? Will he simply resign and let Harman take on the caretaker role? Or will he call a general election this year and be done with it?. One thing is certain: this can't go on for much longer.

Hillary's campaign winding down

Hillary Clinton is widely expected to bow out after today's primaries in West Virginia. The Telegraph reports:

Her financial problems, if nothing else, may force her to bow out after ending on a high note in West Virginia, where she is expected to beat Senator Barack Obama by a landslide in Tuesday's primary contest.

Speaking to voters in the Appalachian state, she said: “All the kitchen table issues that everybody talks to me about are ones that the next president can actually do something about, if he actually cares about it.” Realising her faux pas, she added: “More likely if she cares about it!”

Though Mrs Clinton continues to make her case as the best next president of the US, she has noticeably softened her tone on Mr Obama in the past few days, after weeks of direct attacks on his readiness for the White House. She also much less regularly peppers her speeches with the phrase “When I am president...” - another sign that her inner conviction is fading.